WEST POINT, N.Y. -- Here’s how Derrick Rose described the triangle offense after running it for two practices with the New York Knicks:

“It’s complicated a little bit right now because it’s new to us. It’s foreign. But I think the more we work on it and the way the coaches are putting it into the offense, it’s [going to get] little bit easier,” Rose said after Thursday’s practice.

“[There’s] like 40 to 50 options on one side of the floor. It’s like giving you your space for creativity. It’s like if you’re doing it the right way, you could do everything you want, you could freelance but you just got to know where you’re going.”

It’s understandable that Rose wouldn’t be fully comfortable with the triangle offense after running it for two days. But his ability to pick up the offense -- which coach Jeff Hornacek plans to use in half-court sets -- is crucial to this Knicks season. If Rose can thrive in the triangle, it would go a long way toward helping New York make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. If not, it may be another long year for the Knicks.

Rose, though, seems optimistic about the offense after running it for a few practices. The point guard said he and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, who played for Phil Jackson’s Bulls teams in the 1990s, have talked about the offense.

“He told me they had the personnel for it back when they played, and I feel like we have the same personnel,” Rose said, while joking that Armstrong's role in the triangle was a bit different than his. "BJ’s job was just to give Mike the ball and get out the way," he said.

Rose's comfort level in the triangle is something worth monitoring; Knicks coaches have said it can take months for players to truly master the offense. Many teams, of course, run pieces of the triangle but the Knicks use the alignment as a focal point.

MORE PICK-AND-ROLL? It’s worth noting that the offense may look markedly different this season under Jeff Hornacek than it has the past two years. Both Hornacek and the players say they hope to attack in transition more this season. The Knicks ranked last in the NBA in points scored in transition per game last season. Rose also confirmed that the club has been using pick-and-roll in the offense under Hornacek.

“We’ve been running a lot of pick-and-roll,” he said. “I feel that’s my game, pick-and-roll. Having two people on me, it creates and opens up space for everyone. We’re just trying to make things simple and make the easy offense.”

On Thursday, Rose also said the club may run pick-and-roll plays in the closing minutes of tight games. Coaches have said Jackson’s clubs, which relied on the triangle, also allowed star players to freelance outside of the system late in close games.

“I think at the end of the game or a game-winning shot or something like that, I don’t think it’s going to be the triangle,” Rose said. “I think it’s probably going to be 1-3 pick-and-roll or 3-1 pick-and-roll. Either me or [Carmelo Anthony] will have to create for someone to take the shot.”

Last season, Derek Fisher wanted to pick up the pace and use more pick-and-rolls early in the shot clock. But he and team president Phil Jackson were at odds over certain aspects of Fisher’s offense, sources say. It's worth noting that Jackson said Hornacek has the freedom to tweak the triangle -- and run transition and early-clock offense.

Rose a big Phil fan: Rose grew up in Chicago in the 1990s. So, naturally, he holds his new team president in high regard.

“He’s a legend,” Rose said of Jackson. “He’s like a legend in Chicago. It’s an honor just being around him. He’s someone that his résumé speaks for itself, all the accolades he achieved and everything. For me to even be in his presence and be a part of what he’s building, I feel like something good is coming my way just by attaching my name with him or being associated with him.”

Rose, though, saw a different side of Jackson on Thursday, when the team president didn’t like something he saw from the Knicks' offense.

“He got mad at us one time because we was running the offense and we didn’t throw the ball into the post,” Rose said. “He came over, kind of grumpy a little bit. That was my first time ever seeing him like that.”

Rose also said Jackson has addressed the team a few times, but the team president hasn't yet talked to Rose about the triangle offense.

“I don’t want to bug him about it. I don’t want to rush to have that conversation. I feel like it’s going to happen whenever it does,” said Rose, who faces a civil suit alleging sexual assault and an investigation into a criminal complaint.

Rose recalled an anecdote about growing up in Chicago when the Bulls were winning titles. Rose was 10 when Chicago won its last title under Jackson.

“I never went to the games. I couldn’t afford to go to the games," Rose said. "I watched them from afar. Even then, I didn’t really watch Bulls games like that. I was always outside playing and I came inside to see everybody huddled around the TV, and I’m like 'A Bulls game is on.' I really didn’t pay too much attention to it because I really couldn’t celebrate like they won a championship. I’m the youngest in my family. I couldn’t go out and celebrate, like run outside, because my mom thought it was too dangerous outside when they were winning championships. Because you know how it is when people win. I had to sit at the window and watch everybody celebrate.”

Rose attended his first Bulls game in 2006, when new teammate Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets came to Chicago. Rose was a senior in high school.